Dispenser



Jan. 28, 1936a w BURKE 2,029,055

DISPENSER Filed Nov. 22, 1934 Zgg 30 L 27 7 Qttumcgs.

Patented Jan. 28, 1936 PATENT OFFICE DISPENSER William H. Burke, OnaWa, Iowa, assignor of onei'ourth to G. W. Myrland and one-fourth to Geo. W. Prichard, both of Onawa, Iowa Application November 22, 1934, Serial No. 754,346

3 Claims.

The device forming the subject matter 01' this application is adapted to be used for dispensing material, such as creams, mustard and the like. The invention aims to supply a novel means for forcing the material out of a jar or receptacle, to provide novel means for regulating the flow of the material, to provide a novel means whereby the material may be forced out, and its delivery regulated, by a single operation; and, generally, to improve and to enhance the utility of devices of that type to which the present invention 'appertains.

With the above and other objects in view, which will appear as the description proceeds, the invention resides in the combination and arrangement of parts and in the detailsof construction hereinafter described and claimed, it being understood that changes in the precise embodiment of the invention herein disclosed, may be made within the scope of what is claimed, without departing from the spirit of the invention.

In the accompanying drawing:

Fig. 1 shows, in vertical longitudinal section, a device constructed in accordance with the invention, parts being in elevation;

Fig. 2 is a top plan;

Fig. 3 is a cross section on the line 3-3 of Fig. 1.

The numeral I designates a cylindrical receptacle or jar, adapted to contain the material 32 to be dispensed. The material shown at 32 may be a toilet cream, mustard, or any thing of the like. Near its upper end, the receptacle i has an external circumferential stop head 2. Above the head 2, the receptacle I has an external thread 3.

The numeral 4 designates, generally, an inverted cup-shaped cap, which may be made of metal. The cap 4 comprises a top 5 and a depending circumferential rim 6. The rim 6 is threaded at I, to engage with the thread 3 on the receptacle l, and when the parts 4 and I are threaded together, the lower edge of the rim 6 engages the stop head 2. A vent hole 8 is formed in the top 5 of the cap 4.

The numeral 9 designates, generally, a piston housed in the cap 4, but adapted to be advanced downwardly into the receptacle i. The piston '9 is a composite structure, including a body It), preferably made of rubber or a rubber compound having some resiliency. The body ID of the piston 9 has a close, sliding, frictional fit within the rim 6 of the cap 4, and in the receptacle i. If the receptacle l happens to be a little out of round, the body I!) of the piston 9 will fit closely in the receptacle, because the body of the piston is resilient. The body ill of the piston 9 has a concaved recess H in its bottom, and this recess extends outwardly to the periphery of the body.

The piston, designated by the numeral 9, includes a hub I2 mounted centrally in the body 5 ill of the piston, the hub having circumferential fins I 4 which extend outwardly into the body ID, to aid in holding the hub I 2 and the body In together. The hub 12 preferably is made of metal because into it is threaded a feed screw 1 I I, which will be alluded to hereinafter. On its upper end, the hub l2 carries a. circumferential backing plate l5, engaging the upper surface of the piston body It]. The backing plate l pref-, erably is of somewhat smaller diameter than the 15 piston body I 0. There is a circular recess IS in the top of the hub l2.

The numeral 28 designates an operating member, comprising several parts. One of those parts is the aforesaid feed screw l1, threaded into the hub l2 of the piston 9, and extended downwardly to a point closely adjacent to the bottom of the receptacle I The feed screw i1 is provided near its upper end with a circular disk-like head 18, housed in the recess it of the hub l2 and engaging the lower surface of the top 5 of the cap 6. Above the head l8, the feed screw ll has a smooth, cylindrical. upper portion l9, journaled in the top 5 of the cap 4, and extended upwardly a little way above the top 5.

The operating member, designated generally by the numeral 28, includes a conical tip 20, engaged with the upper surface of the top 5 of the cap 4. The cylindrical upper portion IQ of the feed screw 1 extends into the tip 20, the parts i9 and being secured together by any suitable means, indicated by the numeral 2|. The tip 20 carries an outstanding radial arm 24, arranged at right angles to the axis of the feed screw H. The feed screw l1 and its upper portion l9 have an axial bore 22, in line with a corresponding bore 23 in the tip 20.

A lever is arranged at an acute angle to the arm 24 and is supplied at its inner end with an upwardly extended finger 26, terminating in a closure disk 27, the disk 21 fitting closely but slidably on the upper end of the tip 20 and closing the upper end of the bore 23 in the tip, the bore 23 and the bore 22 of the screw l1 forming a conduit through which the material 32 is discharged. The arm 24 and the lever 25 are supplied with overlapped transverse ears 29, receiving a fulcrum member 30, which may be a screw or any equivalent device. The lever 25 thus is fulcrumed intermediate its ends on the arm 24 55 for swinging movement in ajirection substanagainst longitudinal v I the head I8- of the feed screw I1 and the tip or nozzle 20 are disposed .on opposite sides of the tially at right angles to the axis of the feed screw ii. The lever 25 is held normally in the position of Fig. 2. with the disk the upper end of the conduit 22-43, by means of a coiled spring engaged around the fulcrum 30 for the lever 26, and including arms II which extend outwardly along the inner surfaces of the member 24 and the lever 2!.

The operating member 28 is iournaled for rctatlon in the top 5 of the cap 4, but is held movement therein. because top 5 of the cap 4. Since the body I0 of the piston 9 is resilient and has a frictional grip on the rim 6 of the cap 4 and'on the 'receptacle \l, the piston 9 does not tend to rotate to any appreciable extent, when the screw I1 is rotated. Therefore, when the screw I1 is rotated, the piston 9 moves downwardly, forcing the material 32 upwardly through the conduit 22-.

The outer end of the lever I! is pressed'toward the outer end of the arm 24, by a thrust, or by a pinching action. The first result is that the lever 25 is swung on its fulcrum 30, the closure 21 on the inner end of the lever 25 being withdrawn laterally from above the tip 20, the conuit 22-23 being opened at its upper end. Continued pressure in the direction of the arrow A in Fig. 2 causes rotation to be imparted to the screw H, by way of the arm 24 and the tip 20, and as the screw I1 is rotated, the piston 9 is carried downwardly, because the screw I! is threaded into the huh I! of the piston 9. The vent 8 in the top 5 of the cap 4 admits air to the cap, above the piston 9, and permits the piston to move downward freely. The piston 9 compresses the material 32 in the receptacle I, and forces the material up through the conduit 22-23, the material being delivered atrthe end of the tip 20. When the operator has delivered as much of the material 32 as he needs, pressure in the direction of the arrow A in Fig. 2 is stopped, and the lever 25, under the action of the spring 3|, resumes the position shown in Fig. 2, the disk 21 on the lever going backto closedposition with respect to the upper end of the conduit 2322.

when the piston 9 gets down to the bottom of the receptacle I, the body II) of the piston 9 flattens out, under the action of the feed screw ii, the material in the recess II of the body I0 being forced upwardly through the conduit 22- 23 and there being practically none of the material 32 left in the receptacle I. Because the body III has the recess II in its bottom, the body it is given a thinned lower peripheral edge which aids in enabling the body I0 to conform to the inner surface of the receptacle I. Y

A person, pleted article, as shown inliig. 1-, or he can buy the cap 4 alone, with parts attached thereto.

21 in closed relation to operating in the first place, can buy the com- Thereafter, the purchaser can buythe receptacle i and its contents I2, and assemble it by means of the threading at 3-1 with the cap 4 and other parts which he has already. In other words, the user does not have'to buy a new cap 5 4 and attached parts, every time that the receptacle I becomes empty. It is possible, of course,

to refill a single receptacle I, and use it as many times as desired.

Having thus described claimed is:

1. Dispensing mechanism comprising a container, a piston slidable in the container, means embodying a feed screw held for rotation but again longitudinal movement on the container, the feed screw being threaded into the piston, the operating means, including the feed screw, having a conduit for the discharge of the contents of the container, under pressure of the piston a lever, fixed fulcrum means by which the lever is mounted on the operating means, the lever having a closure so located as to control the passage of the contents of the container through the conduit, the lever being disposed substantially at right angles to the axis of the feed screw, the fulcrum means comprising a part so located as to be engaged by the outer end of the lever whereby pressure exerted against the outer end of the lever first swing the lever and move the closure to open position with respect to the conduit, and then ro-f tate the screw, to advance the piston and force the contents of the container through the con-' duit.

2. Dispensing mechanism comprising. a con tainer, a piston slldable in the container, oper ating means embodying a feed screw held for rotation but against longitudinal movement on the container, the feed screw being threaded into the piston, the operating means, including the'40 the invention, what is feed screw, having a conduit for the discharge of the contents of the container, underthe pressure of the piston, an arm and means for securing the arm to the feed screw, and a lever fulcrumed intermediate its ends on the arm and having at its 45 inner end a closure so located as to control the passage of the contents of the container through the conduit, the lever and the arm being of approximately the same length and being disposed substantially at right angles to the axis ofthe WILLIAM H. BURKE. 

